As electronic devices, such as television receivers, video recorders, disk recorders, have recently had advancing functions, a remote control transmitter having a learning function which can store operation codes for remotely operating the devices have been used.
FIG. 9 is a plan view of conventional remote control transmitters 6 and 7.
Case 1 of remote control transmitter 6 has substantially a box shape and is made of insulating resin. Plural operation keys 2A and 2B each operating switch contacts protrude movably up and down or slidably from upper and side surfaces of case 1, thus constituting operation unit 2. Case 1 accommodates a circuit board with plural wiring patterns on upper and lower surfaces of the board. Various electronic components mounted onto the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit board constitute transmitting unit 3, receiving unit 4, and controller 5.
Operation unit 9 including plural operation keys 9B and 9C is provided on the upper and side surfaces of case 8 of remote control transmitter 7. Transmitting unit 10 and controller 11 implemented by various electronic components are accommodated in case 8. Controller 11 stores operation codes for, e.g. a television receiver.
After a user presses operation key 2A of operation unit 2 of remote control transmitter 6 for learning, and then, presses operation key 2B for, e.g. playback, the switch contacts beneath the key are connected and disconnected electrically. Controller 5 detects the electrical connection and disconnection of the switch contacts, and remote control transmitter 6 is ready for storing operation codes.
Next, while the user presses operation key 2A of remote control transmitter 6, the user presses operation key 9B for playback of remote control transmitter 7 facing remote control transmitter 6. Then, controller 11 detects the electrical connection and disconnection of the switch contacts beneath the keys, and allows transmitting unit 10 to transmit, to remotely control transmitter 6, an operation code corresponding to playback as a remote control signal.
Receiving unit 4 of remote control transmitter 6 receives the signal transmitted from remote control transmitter 7, and controller 5 allocates the operation code for playback to operation key 2A corresponding to playback which is pressed, and stores the operation code.
Then, while the user presses operation key 2C indicating the numeral, “1”, for channel selection of remote control transmitter 6, the user presses operation key 9C indicating the numeral, “1”, of remote control transmitter 7 as to allow transmitting unit 10 to transmit an operation code for selecting channel “1”.
Remote control transmitter 6 receives the transmitted operation code. Controller 5 allocates the operation code for selecting channel “1” to operation key 2C indicating the numeral, “1”, for channel selection, and stores the operation code.
After that, while the user presses keys of operation unit 2 of remote control transmitter 6 sequentially, the user presses keys of operation unit 9 of remote control transmitter 7 sequentially as to transmit a remote control signal, accordingly allows controller 5 of remote control transmitter 6 to store operation codes corresponding to the keys.
Next, when the user directs remote control transmitter 6 to a television receiver and presses, for example, operation key 2C, controller 5 detects electrical connection and disconnection of switch contacts beneath key 2C, and allows transmitting unit 3 to transmit an operation code for selecting channel “1” as a remote control signal to change a channel of the television receiver into channel “1”.
That is, while the user arranges remote control transmitter 7 storing the operation codes for the television receiver to face remote control transmitter 6, the user presses the keys of operation units 2 and 9 alternately one after another to perform a learning operation. The learning operation allows remote control transmitter 6 to store the operation codes stored in remote control transmitter 7, thereby allowing the user to remotely control, with remote control transmitter 6, the television receiver operated with remote control transmitter 7.
Conventional remote control transmitters 6 and 7 perform the learning operation with the user pressing alternately and sequentially the keys of operation units 2 and 9 of remote control transmitter 6 to be learned and remote control transmitter 7 storing the operation codes. Thus, the transmitters 6 and 7 require the user to execute complicated, troublesome operation, accordingly causing operation errors, such as the pressing of wrong operation key.